Joe Wright

Biography

Joseph “Joe” Wright was born on 25 August 1972 in London, England. His parents, John and Lyndie Wright, founded the Little Angel Theatre, a puppet theatre in Islington. From a young age, Wright was exposed to the arts and performance. 

Wright had a keen interest in the visual arts; he liked painting, made short films using a Super 8 camera, and took drama classes in his youth. He also faced challenges: Wright is dyslexic and left secondary school without completing his GCSEs. He went on to study art foundation at Camberwell College of Arts, and afterwards did a degree in fine art and film at Central Saint Martins. 

Career Beginnings

Joe Wright’s early professional work was in television and short films. Some of his initial television credits include "Nature Boy" (2000), "Bob & Rose" (2001), "Bodily Harm" (2002), and "Charles II: The Power and the Passion" (2003). His short films (for example, Crocodile Snap and The End) also helped him garner attention. 

Breakthrough & Notable Films

Wright made his feature film debut with Pride & Prejudice (2005), starring Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen. It was a critical success, earning multiple nominations and helping establish him as a director who could handle literary adaptations with sensitivity and visual flair. 

His next major film was Atonement (2007), also based on a novel (by Ian McEwan). It continued Wright’s pattern of combining strong storytelling, character depth, and high production values. Atonement won several awards, including BAFTAs, and was nominated for Oscars. 

He has directed a mix of period dramas and more modern / genre films. Some of his other major works:

Hanna (2011) — a thriller with action elements.

Anna Karenina (2012), another adaptation of a classic novel. 

Darkest Hour (2017), dealing with Winston Churchill during WWII. 

Cyrano (2021), a more recent adaptation with musical elements. 

He also worked on television beyond his early TV work; one of his more recent projects is Mussolini: Son of the Century (2025), a historical drama series.

Style & Themes

Wright is known for:

Adapting literary works — taking novels and classic texts and bringing them to film in visually rich ways.

Paying attention to visual composition (his background in fine art shows in the aesthetics of his films) and production design.

Balancing large-scale period detail with emotional intimacy.

Occasionally moving between genres (period romance, war drama, thriller). 

Personal Life

Joe Wright was married to sitarist Anoushka Shankar from 2010 to 2019; they have two sons. 

Since 2017, his partner has been actress Haley Bennett, and they have a child together.